Mixed Signals
by Mandee1
Summary: Z is giving Bridge mixed signals, but he finds a way to figure out what she really thinks about him.


Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N: Just a little Bridge/Z one-shot. There probably won't be another chapter to this. Enjoy anyway!

Mixed Signals

Bridge was dying to know what Z thought of him. Did she like him in a romantic way? Did she only see him as a friend? Or maybe not even as a friend, but just as her teammate who had weird quirks and rambled a bit too much? Bridge was so confused. Sometimes it seemed like she was really interested in what he had to say, even if he wasn't making sense. She'd laugh and comment back, remark on how strange but funny he could be. But other times, she would roll her eyes and cut him off before he could finish, insisting that she didn't want to hear the rest. Bridge knew she probably didn't intend to be rude, but these mixed signals were killing him.

Bridge's head was swarming. Well, it usually swarmed all the time with other people's thoughts and emotions. But now, with his constantly thinking about Z, his mind was in double- (or maybe triple) swarm mode. Not even his headstand - his personal proven method of relaxation and mind-clearing - helped sort his thoughts out.

At the moment, Bridge was laying in his bed, trying to think of solutions to his dilemma. Everyone else was 'bonding' in the control room, but wanting peace and quiet and privacy, Bridge claimed that he had taken a rough beating during training and wanted to take a nap. Staring at the ceiling, he took various solutions into consideration.

Of course, he could just talk to Z about the situation. Tell her how he felt about her. How seeing her smile gave him butterflies. How he loved her outspoken yet gentle-when-she-wanted-to-be personality. How he admired her tenacity when they were fighting and her persistence when they were training. But Bridge knew if he tried, he'd get tongue-tied and nervous and then start babbling even more than he usually did. He wouldn't want to take the chance of directly approaching her about his feelings unless he was positively sure she felt the same way. And so far, he was only half-sure.

Or he could always ask Syd. While Bridge and Sky didn't stay awake until wee hours of the morning talking about girls, he had no doubt that Syd and Z stayed awake way past SPD bedtime and had some very interesting conversations. If Z was interested in him in that way, she definitely would have talked to Syd about it. Who knew, she could have even mentioned it if she _didn't_ have romantic feelings for him. In that case, Bridge wouldn't want Syd to be the one to tell him. Actually, Bridge wasn't sure if he wanted to know from Syd either way. He'd much rather hear the truth - whatever it may be - directly from Z.

Great. Now he was starting to contradict himself. Bridge had so many things going through his mind that he couldn't think straight.

Bridge rolled over onto his stomach, a new idea coming to his mind. Why not use his powers? He'd never really used his powers for anything else but identifying evil energy or proving a point to his teammates. But if he could get alone with Z, he'd be able to read her aura, detect what kind of energy she gave off while she was around him, maybe even get inside her head briefly. It would be a desperate move, but Bridge _was_ desperate. If Z liked him as much as he liked her, he would want to be with her, not wishing he was with her.

With that settled, the only thing Bridge had to worry about was how he could get alone with her.

**The Next Morning**

Bridge never really figured out a plan, but it turned out he didn't need to.

Bridge had been so nervous about what he was going to do that he didn't sleep much. When he saw the first rays of sun shining through the window, he decided to wake up and run a few laps around the base.

He was in the cafeteria after his run filling up a bottle of water when Z walked in. "Good morning," she yawned.

"Hey," Bridge greeted her back. "You're up early."

Z chuckled. "Yeah. I didn't eat a big dinner last night so I'm pretty hungry. I need something to hold me over until breakfast. What about you?"

Bridge took a seat at the table. "I didn't sleep well, so I woke up early to run some laps. Running first thing in the morning is so relaxing, with the sun just rising and the sky turning all kinds of colors, like orange and yellow. And when you're by yourself, you can go at your own pace for however long you want. It's such a great way to start the day too. I hardly slept last night, but I feel so energized right now. And-

"Bridge, I get the point," Z interrupted. She was smiling though, so Bridge knew she wasn't annoyed with him already.

When Z turned her back to Bridge to wash an apple in the sink, Bridge quickly decided to read her aura. He removed his right glove and inconspicuously waved his hand in the air. Oddly, she wasn't just one color. Her many colors were a strange combination. Bridge felt dejected for a brief moment before he realized what the two most dominant colors meant.

Yellow, joy and contentment; and pink, love and affection.

Bridge smiled to himself. _I knew it all along, _he thought. _She couldn't fool me for a second._

"Z, come sit down," Bridge said, offering her the seat across the table. "As long as we're the only ones awake, there's something I've been dying to tell you..."


End file.
